EditDroid
Encyclopedia
The EditDroid was a computerized analog NLE (non-linear editing system
), developed by Lucasfilm
spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint venture company. The company existed up through the mid-80's to the early 90's in an attempt to move from analog editing methods to digital. EditDroid first debuted at the NAB
62nd Annual meeting in Las Vegas in 1984 concurrent with another editing tool that would compete with the EditDroid for all its years in production, the Montage Picture Processor. The EditDroid was never a commercial success and after the close of The Droid Works in 1987 and subsequent redevelopment of the product for seven years, the software for it was eventually sold to Avid Technology
in 1993. Only 24 EditDroid systems were ever produced.
The system was Laserdisc
-based, relying on several laserdisc players and a database
system which would queue up the clips in the order needed from the laserdisc players in the most efficient way, so as to minimize skipping. This however wasn't always possible. So if the edits weren't sufficiently close, the system wouldn't always be fast enough to cue up the next clip.
It had three screens connected to it: one was a Sun-1
computer display (the graphical UI for the product), plus one small video (preview) monitor and one large rear-projected containing 'the cut' and was controlled by a custom controller. The controller, called the TouchPad, featured a KEM-style shuttle knob, a trackball, and a host of buttons with LED labels that changed in function depending on what the system was doing. The EditDroid pioneered the use of the graphical display for editing—introducing the "timeline" as well as digital picture icons to identify raw source clips.
Once the entire movie had been edited, a "cut list" of marked frames was turned over to a film laboratory where the actual pieces of film
were spliced together in the correct order.
The EditDroid no longer exists as such, and the market for nonlinear editing systems has changed radically since its inception, with products like Final Cut Pro
available at consumer level. In many respects the EditDroid was a concept demonstration of the future of editing, with a laserdisc being a good 1980s simulation of what digital access would be like, and an editing interface and workflow that was more like today's methods than any of the videotape linear or analog nonlinear products leading up to the Avid/1 in 1990.
), were many. Not only is it much faster to locate the clips needed, keeping track of what can in some cases amount to a staggering amount of footage, is also much easier digitally. Also, editing film digitally is a non-destructive process, where the analog process requires the actual cutting and taping together of pieces of film as well as manual syncing of sound.
That said, Walter Murch
in his book In the Blink of an Eye, mourns the loss of the older analog solutions where you had to move back and forth in the available material a lot to gain an overview, thus getting you very well acquainted with it. Since undoing an edit is such a laborious process there is a high incentive to get the best edit cut the first time. This process which is not necessary to the same extent with NLE solutions in which one edit point can be made and undone very quickly.
Furthermore, the resolution possible on a laserdisc is less than that of a 35mm celluloid (roughly 528 pixels wide on laserdisc vs roughly 5600 pixels on 35mm).
While the Laserdisc
format was brought to market in the late 70's (as DiscoVision and later, LaserVision) and despite persistent promises from the Music Corporation of America
, a cheap method of recording laserdiscs never surfaced, making it exceedingly hard and cumbersome to create the needed laserdiscs for the EditDroid (at this time the storage available on a hard disk
was very small and extremely expensive).
Furthermore, many potential customers of the EditDroid were put off by the fact that while Lucasfilm Ltd. were the creators of the EditDroid, George Lucas
had never in fact used the EditDroid on a movie (despite the EditDroid having been shown with Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
clips on numerous occasions at tradeshows and at demonstrations). Lucas eventually used his EditDroids in the early '90s on his series "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles."
Non-linear editing system
In video, a non-linear editing system is a video editing or audio editing digital audio workstation system which can perform random access non-destructive editing on the source material...
), developed by Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint venture company. The company existed up through the mid-80's to the early 90's in an attempt to move from analog editing methods to digital. EditDroid first debuted at the NAB
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
62nd Annual meeting in Las Vegas in 1984 concurrent with another editing tool that would compete with the EditDroid for all its years in production, the Montage Picture Processor. The EditDroid was never a commercial success and after the close of The Droid Works in 1987 and subsequent redevelopment of the product for seven years, the software for it was eventually sold to Avid Technology
Avid Technology
Avid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...
in 1993. Only 24 EditDroid systems were ever produced.
The system was Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
-based, relying on several laserdisc players and a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
system which would queue up the clips in the order needed from the laserdisc players in the most efficient way, so as to minimize skipping. This however wasn't always possible. So if the edits weren't sufficiently close, the system wouldn't always be fast enough to cue up the next clip.
It had three screens connected to it: one was a Sun-1
Sun-1
Sun-1 was the first generation of UNIX computer workstations and servers produced by Sun Microsystems, launched in May 1982. These were based on a CPU board designed by Andy Bechtolsheim while he was a graduate student at Stanford University and funded by DARPA...
computer display (the graphical UI for the product), plus one small video (preview) monitor and one large rear-projected containing 'the cut' and was controlled by a custom controller. The controller, called the TouchPad, featured a KEM-style shuttle knob, a trackball, and a host of buttons with LED labels that changed in function depending on what the system was doing. The EditDroid pioneered the use of the graphical display for editing—introducing the "timeline" as well as digital picture icons to identify raw source clips.
Once the entire movie had been edited, a "cut list" of marked frames was turned over to a film laboratory where the actual pieces of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
were spliced together in the correct order.
The EditDroid no longer exists as such, and the market for nonlinear editing systems has changed radically since its inception, with products like Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
available at consumer level. In many respects the EditDroid was a concept demonstration of the future of editing, with a laserdisc being a good 1980s simulation of what digital access would be like, and an editing interface and workflow that was more like today's methods than any of the videotape linear or analog nonlinear products leading up to the Avid/1 in 1990.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The advantages of using a digital editing solution over the older analog solutions (like the MoviolaMoviola
A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924.-History:...
), were many. Not only is it much faster to locate the clips needed, keeping track of what can in some cases amount to a staggering amount of footage, is also much easier digitally. Also, editing film digitally is a non-destructive process, where the analog process requires the actual cutting and taping together of pieces of film as well as manual syncing of sound.
That said, Walter Murch
Walter Murch
Walter Scott Murch is an American film editor and sound designer.-Early life:Murch was born in New York City, New York, the son of Katharine and Canadian-born Walter Tandy Murch , a painter. He went to The Collegiate School, a private preparatory school in Manhattan, from 1949 to 1961...
in his book In the Blink of an Eye, mourns the loss of the older analog solutions where you had to move back and forth in the available material a lot to gain an overview, thus getting you very well acquainted with it. Since undoing an edit is such a laborious process there is a high incentive to get the best edit cut the first time. This process which is not necessary to the same extent with NLE solutions in which one edit point can be made and undone very quickly.
Furthermore, the resolution possible on a laserdisc is less than that of a 35mm celluloid (roughly 528 pixels wide on laserdisc vs roughly 5600 pixels on 35mm).
While the Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
format was brought to market in the late 70's (as DiscoVision and later, LaserVision) and despite persistent promises from the Music Corporation of America
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
, a cheap method of recording laserdiscs never surfaced, making it exceedingly hard and cumbersome to create the needed laserdiscs for the EditDroid (at this time the storage available on a hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
was very small and extremely expensive).
Furthermore, many potential customers of the EditDroid were put off by the fact that while Lucasfilm Ltd. were the creators of the EditDroid, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
had never in fact used the EditDroid on a movie (despite the EditDroid having been shown with Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
clips on numerous occasions at tradeshows and at demonstrations). Lucas eventually used his EditDroids in the early '90s on his series "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles."